Month: August 2017

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Preckwinkle Gives Out Lavish Benefits to Campaign Donor After Soda Tax

Pritzker, Kennedy Still Refuse to Take Position on Tax

It’s now been confirmed – Toni Preckwinkle’s punitive, universally derided soda tax was never about making the public safer or plugging a budget gap.

It was about giving out government benefits to political supporters.

And Democratic candidates for Governor – J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy – refuse to say anything about it.

Just weeks after Preckwinkle’s soda tax went into effect, one of Cook County’s “top unions is bragging about all the good things Preckwinkle is giving its members in a new contract.”

Crain’s Chicago Business writes that Preckwinkle is giving Teamsters Union Local 700 lavish benefits, including “a new payment for attending roll call, lifting a cap on use of personal time, a raised uniform allowance and expanded shift differentials, a $1,200-per-person signing bonus and, most notably, a zero percent hike in health care premiums at a time when workers all over the country are being asked to pay more.”

Preckwinkle’s spokesman had the gall to call it “a good, responsible deal for everyone, including the taxpayers.”

But as Crain’s notes – Teamsters Union Local 700 is one of Preckwinkle’s largest campaign donors, giving her campaign fund “at least $68,000 since 2014.”

It’s just another example of Cook County Democrats using taxpayer dollars for political benefit.

It’s time for leading Cook County Democrats like J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy to stand up and say where they stand on Preckwinkle’s tax-and-spend scheme.

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Will Pritzker Call on Preckwinkle to Repeal Soda Tax?

Pritzker Could Demonstrate Leadership, Use Cook County Endorsement for Good

Cook County is fed up with politics as usual from Toni Preckwinkle. A shocking poll out today finds that there is overwhelming opposition to Preckwinkle’s signature tax – nearly 7 in 10 registered Cook County voters oppose her soda tax.

But where does J.B. Pritzker stand? So far, all we’ve heard is silence from the normally talkative billionaire.

Could it be that Pritzker’s ties to the Cook County machine prevent him from speaking out?

Could it be that Pritzker is just so thankful for the Cook County Democratic Party’s endorsement that he refuses to take on their reckless members and stand up for taxpayers?

Or maybe running mate Juliana Stratton is stopping Pritzker from doing the right thing – since she’s a “member of Ms. Preckwinkle’s inner circle” and her “protégé”.

Either way, Pritzker’s silence says it all – he’s okay with massive tax hikes that threaten to take millions in federal funding away from those in need.

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Democrats Travel to Springfield to Celebrate “Madigan Day” at the Illinois State Fair

Dem candidates for governor line up to showcase their loyalty to Madigan and kiss his ring

“Illinois Democrats are kidding themselves – today is really Madigan Day at the Illinois State Fair. Democrat candidates for governor have nothing to celebrate about Madigan’s record-setting, disastrous reign of terror over Illinois, but that doesn’t stop them from traveling to Springfield to showcase their loyalty and kiss his ring.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot

After Speaker Mike Madigan landed the title of “longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history,” Democrat Day at the Illinois State Fair is no longer known as Democrat Day – it’s Madigan Day.

At the helm of the Democratic Party of Illinois since 1998, Madigan has used his Chicago machine to accumulate wealth for himself and his cronies, consolidate political power, hike taxes, and squash reform, all to the detriment of Illinois families and taxpayers.

Now Democrat candidates for governor have made the journey from Chicago to Springfield to showcase their loyalty and kiss Madigan’s ring. With loyalists like these, it’s no surprise Madigan wants an ally in the Governor’s Mansion:

J.B. Pritzker

J.B. Pritzker and Mike Madigan have embraced one another from the start. Madigan and the rest of the Chicago Democratic machine have been “steering unions, interest groups, or politicians” to back Pritzker in exchange for assurances that J.B. falls in line. When his campaign was asked how Pritzker would address the heavy handed tenure of Madigan, they mentioned that Illinois Democrats need to improve, but conveniently left out their good buddy Mike Madigan. Behind closed doors, Pritzker voiced his support for Madigan’s tax hike plan: to raise taxes even higher than Madigan’s recent 32% tax hike.

Chris Kennedy

Chris Kennedy has made no bones about his support for Mike Madigan’s agenda. Kennedy thinks reforms to state government are “bullsh*t” and has backed Madigan’s 32% tax tax hike. When asked if Madigan should be reelected as Speaker, Kennedy was at a loss for words. Madigan loves Chris Kennedy’s loyalty so much, he thinks Kennedy is an “excellent candidate” and “a very good candidate for governor.”

Daniel Biss

Daniel Biss talks a good game about taking on the “money and the machine,” but he has a record of working for both. Biss ran a Super PAC that one Illinois Democrat operative called a “Madigan joint“. That Super PAC took boatloads of cash from Madigan, special interests, and insiders like Pritzker and Kennedy. During his short tenure in the House, Biss made Madigan Speaker for another term and voted for Madigan’s rigged legislative maps. Later in the Senate, Biss voted for Madigan’s wildly unbalanced budget and 32% tax hike.

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Jesse White Does it Again

Decision to Run Again Is Patronage Gift to Madigan Machine

“For a second time, Jesse White is breaking his pledge to voters not to run for re-election. It’s no surprise, coming from a career politician and Madigan patronage chief who consistently breaks his word.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe

After a disastrous license plate rollout called “ghastly” and “a mashup of indiscernible clip art” by members of the press,  Secretary of State Jesse White today announced he would run for re-election.

The announcement comes after White repeatedly promised he would not run for re-election.

In 2009, White told the Southern that “if re-elected to a fourth term in 2010, he will retire in 2014 and pursue only volunteer work.”

White broke that promise in 2014, running for re-election.

“This will be it,” he told the Daily Herald.

In 2015, White doubled down, saying “I’m not running in this next election.”

And in 2016, White said “You can take it to the bank. This is it. This is my last tour of duty.”

The Chicago Sun-Times then reported that Madigan wanted to change White’s mind. Now Jesse White has obliged.

White’s decision to break his promise is a gift to Madigan. Jesse White is well known for a “pattern of patronage” in his office. Mike Madigan relies on this patronage for his political machine.

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ICYMI: GOP Rallies for Reform

– Will Hold Madigan Machine Accountable in November 2018 – 

Governor Bruce Rauner and Republicans across Illinois rallied in support of the Governor’s reform agenda and made clear they will hold Mike Madigan’s machine politicians accountable for the damage they’ve inflicted upon taxpayers.

Check out some of the news coverage from the fair:

WCIA: Governor’s day takes aim at Speaker
Hundreds of supporters showed up, but the overall theme was gearing up for the 2018 election and winning seats to flip the majority. Governor Rauner kicked off the event rallying the crowd with high hopes.
… The event was filled with Madigan shirts and buttons which negatively portrayed the Speaker.
“You know why we’re going to pick up at least nine seats maybe a dozen because Democrats just as much as Republicans are angry. They know the system is broken, they know Mike Madigan has set up a machine that makes him rich.”

WGN: Governor’s Day, school funding at center stage in Springfield
It’s Governor Day at the Illinois State Fair and Governor Bruce Rauner is rallying the troops ahead of next year’s election.
“This is an exciting election. We’re going to win on to victory in 2018. Let’s restore Democracy in the State of Illinois,” said Rauner.

NPR Illinois: Rauner Outlines 2018 Campaign Themes: Madigan, Madigan, Madigan
Illinois Republicans are gearing up for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s re-election fight. At a state fair rally Wednesday, they made clear their campaign will focus on one man.
… “We cannot give into Madigan and his Chicago agenda any longer,” said Tim Schneider, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.
“Our goal is to win the House back, and make Leader Durkin Speaker Durkin in 2018,” he said, referring to House Minority Leader Jim Durkin.

Chicago Sun-Times: Rauner releases two TV ads ahead of Illinois House school funding vote
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Governor’s Day released two television ads, paid for by his campaign, in his push to try to squash a veto override in the Illinois House.
The two 30-second spots will be aired statewide, alongside digital ads and phone calls, according to Rauner’s campaign committee Citizens for Rauner.
… “Tell Speaker Madigan we’ve had enough,” one of the ads says.

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ILGOP Releases Snapchat Ads During State Fair

Highlights Democrats’ Marriage to Tax-Hike Agenda

During this year’s state fair, Governor Bruce Rauner will rally for major reforms and highlight how Democrats led by Speaker Mike Madigan refuse to do anything but raise taxes and use government to benefit their friends in Chicago.

Today the Illinois Republican Party is launching a digital ad campaign to amplify the Governor’s message and hold Democrats – including their Madigan-backed candidates for Governor – accountable.

The digital campaign will feature snapchat filters on both Governor’s Day and Democrat’s day.

Check out some of the ads below:

Wednesday

Thursday

 

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ICYMI: “House has final chance to treat schools equally”

Madigan’s Democrats “threw the idea of equity out of kilter and sent millions of dollars more to Chicago”

From the Journal Courier Editorial Board:

There’s still a chance for legislators to get it right for the majority of school children in Illinois.

We hope they demand fairness and fix a broken system that for too long has left many downstate scrambling for scraps.

Realists recognize, though, that school funding has dangled for such a long time on the rope of party politics that change is a long-shot.

There was an admirable effort made to right past wrongs when state Sen. Andy Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat, presented a sound plan that moved the state light years toward equity.

Had that plan survived unadulterated, it would have been a great step. But a last-minute revision inserted provisions designed to absolve Chicago Public Schools of the financial mess allowed to fester over unfunded pensions. That change once again threw the idea of equity out of kilter and sent millions of dollars more to Chicago at the expense of almost every other school district in the state.

The architects of that revision know what they were doing. They also knew how outrageous the idea really was, sitting on it for two months before sending it to the governor’s desk.

…An independent — that’s an important word here — review by the State Board of Education of what would happen without the pension bailout clogging up the funding shows 97.5 percent of all schools in Illinois would receive more funding if the amended funding reform plan was allowed to stand.

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ICYMI: “If Democrats refuse to compromise…they can wear that jacket”

“Illinois House can give 831 school districts more money, or just Chicago”

Editorial Boards across the state are calling on Illinois Democrats to vote their districts and compromise to ensure that we fix the broken school funding formula.

For weeks, Democrats have attacked Governor Rauner, claiming that his amendatory veto would harm schools.

But this week they were proven wrong – by the numbers.

As the Belleville News-Democrat Editorial Board notes, “Math matters…Of 923 school districts in Illinois, Rauner’s changes will give more money to 831 of them and make no difference to another 71 that are mainly alternative schools.”

“If the Illinois House votes Wednesday to override the Rauner amendatory veto, then Chicago’s $463 million will come out of the pockets of 831 other school districts.”

The Chicago Tribune Editorial board this weekend likewise called out Democrats, asking them to come to the table and compromise.

“Republicans are in a position to seek the sort of compromise-maker we advocated over the weekend: creating scholarships for low- and middle-income kids to attend public schools outside their district boundaries, or to attend private schools. Republicans also have spoken (including on Sunday) about reducing unfunded state mandates for schools, and about allowing districts to limit collective bargaining.

Democrats might not like those paths to compromise; teachers unions hate school choice almost as much as they’d hate any limit to collective bargaining. But Democrats also own a huge mess that many of them are frantic to address: the devastated finances of a CPS long mismanaged by, um, their fellow Democrats in Chicago’s City Hall.

If Democrats refuse to compromise and let Senate Bill 1 die, they can wear that jacket.”

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MORE Insider Support for Pritzker

Pritzker Gets Endorsement of Most Crooked Organization in IL Politics

No group in Illinois politics reeks of crooked insider dealing more than the Cook County Democratic Party.

Just last month, the Chicago Tribune exposed how Mike Madigan-ally Joe Berrios, the Cook County Assessor and Chair of the Cook County Democratic Party, runs what is essentially a property tax racket – giving the wealthy huge tax breaks at the expense of low-income Cook county residents.

J.B. Pritzker was one of them.

The billionaire has gotten nearly a quarter million dollars back in property tax breaks and refunds from Joe Berrios, taking money from Chicago Public Schools and other city services by claiming that a $3.7 million Chicago mansion is “uninhabitable”.

It’s no surprise that Joe Berrios would endorse J.B. Pritzker – they’re two crooked Chicago insiders cut from the same cloth.

After all, billionaire J.B. Pritzker has proven he’s willing to play along with Berrios’ property tax schemes and profit from Cook County’s unjust property tax system.

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Pritzker Chooses Madigan Ally as Running Mate

Pritzker Doing Everything Possible to Cozy Up to Madigan

“J.B. Pritzker’s decided that funneling over $1 million to Mike Madigan and his allies wasn’t enough to prove his loyalty to Madigan. Pritzker’s going even further by choosing a Madigan ally as his running mate. 

Juliana Stratton owes her political career to Mike Madigan. Stratton took millions from Madigan-backed groups to win a state house seat and had Mike Madigan’s top political operative run her campaign. J.B. Pritzker is making it clear that he will allow the governor’s office to be annexed over to Speaker Madigan.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe

Just last year, Pritzker gave LIFT, a Madigan-aligned front group, nearly $1 million dollars in an attempt to increase Madigan’s power and block efforts to reform Illinois. And Pritzker secretly funneled another $200,000 to Mike Madigan and his hand-picked candidates for the state house.

Now Pritzker is doubling-down on his alliance with Madigan, picking a running mate that owes her political career to Madigan.
Juliana Stratton Owes Her Political Career to Mike Madigan:

Stratton’s 2016 Primary Campaign Was Run By Marty Quinn, Madigan’s Top Political Operative. “As hard as it is for me to believe—and I still can’t get over it—one of the most powerful operatives in Illinois house speaker Michael Madigan’s mighty Democratic Machine is a mild-mannered alderman who rarely says a word during City Council debates. That’s alderman Marty Quinn-of Madigan’s home 13th Ward, on the southwest side. In the March primary, Quinn oversaw three legislative campaigns on Madigan’s behalf, including Juliana Stratton’s successful run against state rep Ken Dunkin—one of the most expensive and high—profile legislative campaigns in state history.” (Ben Joravsky, “Quiet In The City Council, Marty Quinn Is Madigan’s Behind-The-Scenes Muscle,” Chicago Reader, 4/5/16)

Stratton’s Campaign Was Funded By Madigan’s Allies. “Stratton has raised $1.2 million, about two-thirds of it from organized labor, which opposes Rauner’s push for legislation to weaken collective bargaining rights. She’s also received contributions from downtown law firms that donate heavily to political funds controlled by Madigan, who has led the resistance to Rauner’s efforts to tighten rules on civil lawsuits.” (Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger, “Rauner, Madigan Feud Flows Down,” Chicago Tribune, 3/10/16)

During The Campaign, Madigan’s Spokesman Claimed “We Have No Involvement In That Race” – 30 Minutes Later A Van Was Seen Arriving At Madigan’s 13th Ward Office To Drop Off Juliana Stratton Campaign Signs. “On Thursday afternoon, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown was asked about the Dunkin-Stratton contest and what role the speaker played in getting the Obama endorsement. ‘We have no involvement in that race,’ Brown said. A half-hour later, a delivery van pulled up to Madigan’s Southwest Side 13th Ward office and two men unloaded hundreds of blue-and-white yard signs with the message ‘President Barack Obama endorses Juliana Stratton.’” (Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger, “Rauner, Madigan Feud Flows Down,” Chicago Tribune, 3/10/16)

J.B. Pritzker Has Funneled Over $1 million to Madigan

Pritzker Contributed $900,000 To A Madigan-Linked Super PAC In The 2016 Election: 
“Earlier, the state party and other Rauner allies ripped Pritzker for that and for recently donating $900,000 to a super-PAC that aired anti-Rauner ads during the fall campaign. A total of $350,000 came in Pritzker’s name, $550,000 from the Pritzker family’s Jabodon PT Company.” (Greg Hinz, “Rauner Launches New Attack On J.B. Pritzker Spending,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 12/21/16)

Two LLCS controlled by J.B. Prizker sent over $200,000 to Mike Madigan and his Candidates in November:  
Stateline LLC Gave Madigan’s Democrats $119,400 In November

Stateline LLC Contributed $119,400 To Madigan House Candidates In 2016, Including $5,400 To Madigan’s Democratic Majority PAC.

Name Amount Date Recipient
Stateline LLC $25,000.00 11/3/2016 Friends of Sam Yingling
Stateline LLC $25,000.00 11/3/2016 Greg for Illinois
Stateline LLC $34,000.00 11/3/2016 Friends of Cynthia Borbas
Stateline LLC $30,000.00 11/4/2016 Citizens for Merry Marwig
Stateline LLC $5,400.00 11/17/2016 Democratic Majority

(State Board of Elections, Accessed 12/13/2016)

Stateline LLC Is Controlled By J.B. Pritzker
Stateline LLC’s Address Is 111 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 4000, Chicago IL. (State Board of Elections, Accessed 12/13/2016)

The Pritzker Group’s Address Is 111 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 4000, Chicago IL. (https://www.pritzkergroup.com/venture-capital/contact/)

Pritzker Listed His Ownership On Stateline LLC On His Statement of Economic Interest Forms. (Jay Robert Pritzker Statement of Economic Interests, Illinois Secretary of State, 5/1/2006)

TNDP LLC Gave Madigan’s Democrats $82,000 In November
TNDP LLC Contributed $82,000 To Madigan House Candidates In 2016, Including $10,800 To Mike Madigan Directly And $10,800 To The Madigan-Controlled Democratic Party Of Illinois.

Name Amount Date Recipient
TNDP LLC $20,000.00 11/4/2016 Friends of Katie Stuart
TNDP LLC $35,000.00 11/3/2016 Friends of Deborah Conroy
TNDP LLC $10,800.00 11/17/2016 Friends of Michael J. Madigan
TNDP LLC $5,400.00 11/28/2016 Friends of Robert “Bob” Rita
TNDP LLC $10,800.00 11/17/2016 Democratic Party of Illinois

(State Board of Elections, Accessed 12/13/2016)

TNDP LLC Is Controlled By J.B. Pritzker
TNDP LLC’s Address Is 111 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 4000, Chicago IL. (State Board of Elections, Accessed 12/13/2016)

The Pritzker Group’s Address Is 111 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 4000, Chicago IL. (https://www.pritzkergroup.com/venture-capital/contact/)

The Registered Agent For TNDP LLC Is “Jay Robert Pritzker” According To Secretary of State Records.(TNDP LLC File Detail Report, Illinois Secretary of State, Accessed 12/13/2016)

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